Arrangements for War was an unusual Doctor Who story, in that despite including an alien invasion and all that malarkey, the plot was the emotional lives of the Doctor, Evelyn, and the guest characters. Its sequel, Thicker Than Water, is much more typical, with the emotional moments coming occasionally in a pretty typical Doctor Who plot about hostage situations and medical experiments gone horribly wrong. I absolutely loved Arrangements for War-- it's the most affecting Big Finish story I've ever heard-- but Thicker Than Water doesn't live up to the high standard set by its predecessor. There's nothing wrong with it, but it has two standout emotional moments, whereas Arrangements for War was coated with them from end to end.

Taken on its own, Thicker Than Water is a fine adventure for the Doctor and Mel, and once you throw in the way it wraps up Evelyn's character arc, it's a good listen on the whole, with some great moments. As an Evelyn fan, I've ever so glad that this story exists. But as a follow-up to Arrangements for War, it can't not disappoint. Like Snakedance did to Kinda, it takes the good ideas of its predecessor, but wraps them up in a more generic packaging.

You can read a longer version of this review at Unreality SF.

Paul Sutton's Thicker than Water takes an unusual continuity angle of visiting Evelyn Smythe after she has left the Doctor and married Rossiter from Arrangements for War: Six takes Mel to visit her, Mel having expressed interest in meeting the woman who tamed the Doctor after the unstable start to his regeneration. The actual plot is rather straightforward - emotional conflict between Evelyn and her doctor stepdaughter, with a rather minor sfnal element of alien tech captured from the Killoran invaders - but there are lots of reflections on parental and quasi-parental relationships, including a twist at the end involving a brief appearance from elsewhen in continuity. Actually rather satisfying. ( )